Balmain Spring 2013 | Pictures

Balmain Spring 2013

For Spring 2013, Balmain went Working Girl — designer Olivier Rousteing, though only 27, was clearly inspired by decades past, and offered up a runway show that could have easily doubled as a George Michael music video. The '80s references were hard to ignore — skinny trousers, crop tops, and exaggerated shoulders were central components of the collection — but so was the painstaking attention to detail displayed on Rousteing's embellished and woven wicker pieces. Jackets, pullovers, and minidresses were done in intricate baroque wicker-weaving and topped with jewels, and the designer also incorporated eye-catching harlequin prints and vertical stripes on low-cut jumpsuits, high-waisted peg-leg trousers, and oversize smoking jackets — lending a nice complement to the overall highly structured aesthetic.